Th Archives is lucky to house many records pertaining to the University, including the original minute books of the Board of Governors (beginning in 1797) and the Matricula from 1803. In addition to records created by the University’s administrative bodies, the Archives contains a variety of other holdings relating to the history of the University and student life. These include a significant collection of photographs and several student publications, such as The Ancient Commoner (1965-1988); The Watch (the monthly student news magazine, published since 1989); Babel, published by the Early Modern Studies Society since 2002; and HINGE, a contemporary studies journal. We also hold the records of student societies, including the King's Theatrical Society (formerly the King's Drama and Choral Society). We encourage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to reach out and donate materials to the Archives that reflects their time at King's.
To see a full breakdown of our holdings that have finding aids, please see the King's Archives page on MemoryNS, or reach out to the University Archivist, Tracy Lenfesty (archives@ukings.ca)
King's was originally established in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1789. In 1920 the campus was burnt down in an accidental fire, caused by children playing with matches. Afterwards, the school moved to Halifax in partnership with Dalhousie University and became the place we know today.
Many records survived the Windsor fire, including the Board of Governors meeting minutes, the Royal Charter, and many photographs. The King's Archives is proud to hold records from both campuses.
